New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-05
CONSERVATIVES IN A FIX.
THE GOVERNMENT DISCOUNTED vSaE. SG .h
The LcCDpTANCE OF THEIR CHALLhN0H'
-ur DILLON CASE AT LAST BEFORE rrn.
coMMoNs-w. II. SMITH An
vsTep PARTY.

EsTED PARTY.
INV CABLE TO THE TRiboN.-i ,-ro
cooyrjoht; 1887: Worth Ame'''a" 80 ,o,, aycla,m
royISoN. May 4.-The lrlsn psi'y .'D Drrounded
ike IRON The r ord hath delv red them in'o
a' p"uS usdsy Through the maladroiV ,""oo
our Tnrv beucbman, recently Kiekeu ou'
o. q nnrsoentation of Derry for corrupt prao-
80 end consoled by his party with pa,Vno,' '
~ cove,pment has been landed III oNo
t, "S ,vh,cn II is impossible for them 10 e'neieo
Iivn -. oer;ous damage The Irish members haV0
I'D. several attempts since Coiohei a. -
inaIe ,o;.od the ISLANDERS of The Tunes Oh
eoor of the House OF commons W
cot the matter investigated
nuast;on of privilege. As long as they app,"io"
Themselves for their justification their aeinanu
refused by the Speaker AS soon as 'ne .".
was made by an enemy for the purpose y, ''l l,:"e
them it was readily granted, IN INC oono'
.h., the Irish members would shirk inquiry
a orostion is at last before the House OF Com
,,s ,vhether the Editor of The Times is to be sum
.onod IN the bar and to be compelled to give PROOF
of tho sanders which he has been uttering 1or sew
era months past. ..a
The eaoerness with which Irish members accep'eu
tbe challenge discounted and embarrassed uoFein-
ment. who have refused to grant the inquiry .ney
have professed anxiety to secure. ini' "o
omonnts to a retreat, and nothing can OBSCURE tne
clear fact that having chalked up ona.
,onoa IN tbe Irish members they ran away from IL
when they saw 1t accepted with avidlty' 90 ions
rs the ISLANDERS were confined to inc 1"'eo 'no
IRISH members could afford to ignore them as 'heS
have ignored such ISLANDERS for the past s'A yeaiH
Int the repetition of the charges Dy re-
.nons;ble politicians altered the situation. in
onv case Irish members would not take action Oh
the law because of the facts that one partisan Oh
the ;urv could upset the verdict and that the hl-
rat,on woud involve endless delay and prove
s;mnlv an advertisement for The TimeSs hbels OF.
.Jobn Brennan. whose case against the publisher OF
a Iibellous pamphlet has just been decided h'ed
his action eight months ago. and this has been con-
eidered an unusually prompt hearing owing 10 the
fact that the defendant did not summon
anv witnesses If Irish members proceeded
against The Times in the law courts
the Coercion bill would be carried
before the case came to trial, and purpose OF
fine libes would be served by dilatory motions. Op
the pretence, for example. that witnesses woulu i
have to. be sent for to America, Inc onom~S LINES
could delay the trial their for end iO3 What the
Irish members demand is that the charges should
be investigated by a committee of members OF the
House of Commons responsible public men. formed
proportonately of the parties in the House ana IN
which the Tories themselves would nave the ma
jorlty. :. Az, sou,. of .,
amendment by Mr. Gladstone, which will be moved
tomorrow by him. The debate on this may last till
Monday Indeed out Of the present situation Nn
ing more absurd and outrageous can be
conceived than the proposal of the Gov
ernment that if Irish members desire
they would prosecute The Times aud lend us the a1d
of their Attorney General If Irish members wanted
to prosecute they could do so without the permls-
sion of the Government and they wouid prefer 20
employ their own counsel to handicapping their
case by taking an enemy into the camp.
1t is hardly crediable that body ofmen pretend nd
arsument that il was a fair and welcome PROPOSE
tion that the Government which has traded on
these lbels for months past, whose members %
have repeated them every platform and whose
leader in the House of Commons has made hlmselt
particeps criminis with The Times and liable 10 pun
Ishment by prOpagatlng the libel on ms pooKstans
dertake the championship of the man they have
slandered and prosecute their own principal ally
In the press. L. l. UiLl, NJ l.